Archive for the ‘Conventions’ Category

We have some great news from out friend and Middle-earth artist Jerry Vanderstelt. If you’re going to WonderCon you will have a chance to visit with Jerry at booth 2101. Jerry is sure to have many of his amazing pieces of art there as well as I’m sure to be live painting something for fans to see. Speaking of live painting if you were in Seattle checking out our friends at the Weta Workshop booth you got to see Jerry live painting. He painted a large portrait of the Balrog over the course of the show and as he did so fans asked Jerry to turn this into a print. Surprising nobody Jerry listened to fans and will be doing a print of that painting.

Spring is about to roll in, bringing with it longer days, milder temperatures, trees in blossom and flowers bursting out in a riot of color, and the ensuing allergies. Spring also brings Tolkien Reading Day on March 25th, and in Anaheim, California it brings Wondercon, the little sister to San Diego International Comic-con.

This year, we have our panel scheduled on Sunday, March 25th, coinciding with Tolkien Reading day, so do expect some reading of the Professor’s text during the presentation. This will be a round up of all things Middle-earth, as you can tell from the title: “Dispatches from Middle-earth: What’s new with all things Tolkien” Here are the complete details:

Dispatches from Middle-earth: What’s new with all things Tolkien
Sunday March 25, 2018 – – 10:30am-11:30am, North 200B

TheOneRing.net staffers discuss new Tolkien projects coming this year and beyond. They will start off with a discussion about the Tolkien Biopic that recently wrapped filming and then head straight into fact, fiction, and rumors surrounding the new Middle-earth stories coming from Amazon Studios. As in previous years, WonderCon coincides with Tolkien Reading Day, so they will be reading snippets of the Professor’s words to further their discussions. Also celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the release of Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

North in the room listing refers to the new North building, which is near the Arena, do make sure to have a map or have looked at one to find the new rooms being used this year. While it is expanding, this convention is still so much smaller, more intimate and easier to navigate than SDCC. Our panel is one of the first on Sunday morning, but parking will still be a bit challenging, so give yourself plenty of time to arrive, find parking and get through security and find us in the new building.

We are still researching and finalizing all the little tidbits that will appear in our presentation. But you can expect a little talk about the 15th anniversary of the release of ROTK, info on the Tolkien biopic that has now wrapped principal photography, and the latest info from Amazon Studios regarding the expansion of the Middle-earth universe. 2018 is shaping up to be a marvelous year for fans of Tolkien, with plenty more to come in the years after.

At Comic-Con 2017, our friends at Weta Workshop unveiled one of the most stunning pieces I’ve ever seen. The piece is part of the new Masters Collection, and the character is one we all know quite well: Gollum. This superb piece is a 1:3 mixed media piece with real hair, glass, eyes, translucent skin, clear resin water, and an actual cloth loin cloth. Needless to say this is the best Gollum piece that’s been done. Gollum is limited to only 589 pieces worldwide and comes with a price tag of $1799. Fans that are interested can also use Weta’s handy flex pay system that will help you break this down so you can add this amazing statue into your collections.(more…)

Last night our friends at Weta Workshop presented collectors with another goodie we can add to our collections. Fans now have the chance to add the Rivendell Guard’s Helm to the growing relaunched 1:4 helm line. Limited to 750 pieces worldwide, this helm isn’t going to last long; and as you can see by the picture, the paint/detail on this piece is really fantastic. Weta also announced one of their fun announcements from Comic-Con has arrived. That’s right! The Mini Epics are here, and the video below even gives you a look at the packaging for these awesome little figures. If you have a loved one who might be interested, these little vinyl figures would make for a pretty fantastic stocking stuffer.(more…)

During Comic-Con 2017 our friends at Weta Workshop released what very well may turn out to be a statue of the year contender. The Mouth of Sauron on Steed impressed fans with just how detailed the paint, and pose were, during Comic-Con and now that the production piece has shipped we’re blown away again. Everything about the production piece is superb and equal to the Prototype. After 14 years of waiting for this character to get a full 1:6 statue the wait was without a doubt worth it. You’ll see in the review just how much I love this thing. Limited to just 750 pieces and with a payment plan this is going to be disappearing at retail quite soon.(more…)

Ringer TheHutt was recently at the 2017 Medieval Fantasy Convention in Germany. Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit actors Adam Brown, Sean Astin, Manu Bennett and David Wenham were among the many guests. Read on for TheHutt’s full report!

Medieval Fantasy Convention in Germany: a report from TheHutt

Readers following actors from The Hobbit on social networks might have noticed that some of them suddenly started posing with owls in front of picturesque medieval walls. No wonder: the atmosphere of the Castle Burg in the German town of Solingen is quite inviting for taking pictures.

Historical info: Castle Burg (“Schloss Burg”, literally meaning “Castle Castle”) was built in the 12th century by the Count von Berg. It was destroyed in the 14xx’s and then rebuilt in the 19th century. It is situated on a mountain over the river Wupper.

Join several staffers from TheOneRing.net next weekend for the last big TORn hosted event of the year. We will have a panel at Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con on Saturday, October 28 at 10am, room 403A at the LA Convention Center. Our panel is titled “80 years in Middle-earth, why Tolkien is still so relevant” and will cover several of the themes Tolkien uses in his stories, and discuss some of the many tangible ways Middle-earth is still being brought to life. We have a sneak peak at the new Shadow of War game and some more casting rumors for the Tolkien Biopic in the works. And best of all, they’ve given us 75 minutes to talk, rather than the regular 50 minutes we normally get, so maybe a little Tolkien singalong is in order.

Grond is one of the pieces on the list of never-been-made collectibles that our friends at Weta Workshop have now checked off for us. This amazing piece made its first appearance during NYCC a couple years ago, and was also at the last two San Diego Comic-Con’s. After years of waiting, fans were chomping at the bit to order Grond. Now after 15 years of waiting, we fans can have this in our respective collections, and Grond represents yet another home run by Weta Workshop. Limited to 500 pieces worldwide, and currently sitting at low stock, this isn’t gonna last long and as you can see by the pictures below and the review.(more…)

One of the show-stopping pieces from Comic-Con 2017 has finally made it’s way to pre-order. The absolutely amazing Thranduil on Elk, sculpted by Lindsey Crummett, is ready to be ordered and added to our collections. This is Weta’s largest statue ever coming in at 22″ tall, and as detailed a piece you’re going to find. Thranduil has a price tag of $999 and an edition size of only 750 pieces world-wide. Our friends at Weta Workshop have also added a long awaited feature to ordering pieces like Thranduil: for certain pre-order items Weta will now be offering payment plans! Now, we as fans can fit even more goodies into our budgets. However, it will also cause items sell out more quickly, so fans won’t want to hesitate too long and risk things selling out.(more…)

New York Comic Con is almost here! Alas, TheOneRing.net won’t be there this year; for a number of reasons, we aren’t able to have our usual booth and party at this NYCC. But don’t despair – it doesn’t mean we’ll never be back! We are hoping to see Ringers take Manhattan again next year – so mark your calendars to moot in the Big Apple 2018.

Meanwhile – for those of you who will be in New York City this coming weekend, there is an event for Middle-earth fans! Our friends at Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Monolith Productions are celebrating the Middle-earth: Shadow of War game with a special gathering on Thursday 5th October. Full details can be found here. We’re told there will be food, drinks, giveaways and more! Even if you’re not a gamer, it seems like a great chance to hang out with some fellow Middle-earth fans. Limited capacity so get there early!

And if you are at New York Comic Con this weekend, please do share with us any Tolkien related sightings or fun. Have a great time!

Updated 11/3/17 – From time-to-time you, the fans, email TORn about events of interest to other fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and/or Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. As a service to our readers, we decided to created this new feature: a listing of upcoming events to keep everyone apprised of where they can hook-up and commiserate with other fans, learn a thing or two, or just plain enjoy the fandom that we’ve all come to know and love. From Howard Shore concerts in Paris, to fan get-togethers in Kentucky and South Carolina, to exhibitions in Staffordshire, U.K., it’s all listed here! The list will be updated periodically as past events drop off and future events are added. If you know of an upcoming event, please let us know either in the comments section of this story, or by emailing spymaster@theonering.net. – TORn, ‘Together in Tolkien’

We here at TORn have teamed up with our friends at Weta Workshop for a special review of the 1:30 scale Dol Guldur Environment set with figures. This set made its debut during Comic-Con 2016 and since then each piece has come up for order. This entire setup is really awesome! There is so much incredible detail in every piece that makes up this entire sequence. Also, if you have space issues it allows you to add some quality Weta Workshop made pieces, and still have room for the next amazing sequence to come from this line.

One of my favorite things about this set, which covers the Dol Guldur sequence from The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is that you can create your own battles. You’re not limited by what was decided before you got it, and that gives you so much room to have fun with this set. Ranging from $50 for the figures to $250 for the largest environment piece fans have plenty of wiggle room to create whatever display they’d like. All of the figures Galadriel/Gandalf, Elrond, Witch-king, and Ringwraith of Forod are open editions. Fans will want to make sure to get not wait on any of the environment pieces North Courtyard, South Courtyard, Colonnade, Palantir Courtyard are limited to 500 pieces.(more…)

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